


Introduction to Beginnings

by abigaillecters



Category: Community
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 22:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigaillecters/pseuds/abigaillecters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>i always knew it would be you two. Annie & Abed post-Greendale bump into Shirley and she doesn’t realize they’re a couple at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Introduction to Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> the prompt is courtesy of the lovely Libby (jadednguyen on tumblr). This is not related to any of my other fics because in those, the study group knew that Annie and Abed were a couple.

It had been a year since Troy Barnes, Shirley Bennett, Annie Edison, Pierce Hawthorne, Abed Nadir, Britta Perry, and Jeff Winger had graduated from Greendale Community College.

Six months ago, on a chilly autumn night, while watching The Notebook, Abed sheepishly asked Annie if she would ever consider being his girlfriend. Annie simply took his hand in hers, nodded her head, and kissed him on his cheek.

Things had been going well for them. They were still living in apt. 303 along with Troy. Troy was working in video game development, Annie had gotten a job as an administrator at Greendale Community Hospital, and Abed was working on the script that would eventually land him a spot at Sundance. Well, that’s what he hoped it would do anyway. None of them really had much to complain about. Except for one thing.

The study group had planned to stay in touch after graduation and to remain as close as they were during their four years at Greendale. But life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Jeff had gone back to being a lawyer at a new law firm in town, Britta joined the Peace Corps, no one really knew what Pierce was up to, and Shirley was trying to juggle the popularity of Shirley’s Sandwiches and raising a family.

They hadn’t really meant to fall out of touch, it just happened. One missed phone call turns into two, emails forget to be replied to, lunch dates get cancelled, and people just move on with their lives. They knew that they would one day be properly reunited but for the time being, they were all pretty content with their lives.

———————————————————————————————————————-

“Hey, Abed, I have an idea,” said Annie out of the blue one warm spring morning.

“What is it, Annie?” replied Abed, who was busy fixing himself some Special Drink.

“Well, I was thinking, that since we haven’t seen Shirley in awhile, maybe we should go over to her sandwich place for lunch. You know, say hi, catch up, see her in action. What do you think?”

“Annie, you know I had planned to work on my script today and watch The Wonder Years marathon on TV Land,” he replied, obviously not happy at the prospect of missing a Wonder Years marathon.

“Oh please. Please please please. We haven’t seen Shirley since a few weeks after graduation. That was months ago. I’m sure she’d love to see us. Please,” Annie pleaded, breaking out her trademark weapon: The Disney Face.

“Annie-“

“I’ll erase Charlie St. Cloud on the dvr to make room for the Wonder Years marathon,” she rarely played hardball, but when she did, she did it well.

“Fine. You have yourself a deal,” Abed couldn’t help but grin at Annie’s enthusiasm.

“I’ll also make sure to make it up to you later,” Annie replied, a suggestive twinkle in her eye.

“Cool. Cool cool cool.”

———————————————————————————————————————-

“Oh my goodness! Look who we have here! Andre, take over the cash register will you? Abed and Annie are here!” squealed Shirley from behind the counter of her sandwich shop as she saw the young man and young woman approach her.

Annie barely had time to greet Shirley before she was enveloped in one of her famous hugs.

“Annie! Abed! How nice to see you both! It’s been such a long time, hasn’t it? I didn’t even know you two were going to be here today. I just made a fresh batch of cookies do you want one? Lets get you a cookie,” Shirley had a tendency to ramble when she was happy.

Abed savored the chocolate chip cookie as Annie and Shirley caught up. The three of them had moved to a table so that they could have a proper conversation. Annie sat next to Abed and Shirley sat across from Annie. Abed and Annie held hands under the table. Every couple has something that they do so often that it becomes habit. Annie and Abed’s thing was hand holding.

They talked about work and Shirley’s kids and the study group and the dean. They talked for so long that afternoon turned into evening. Well, Shirley and Annie talked. Abed observed, only interjecting when the topics on conversation shifted to Troy and Abed’s screenwriting.

Shirley was so thrilled to be reunited, however briefly, with her friends that she didn’t even notice Annie making moon eyes at Abed as he talked. It was only when Abed kissed Annie’s cheek after he came back from grabbing a bottle of water that Shirley realized something was definitely up.

“Um, what was that? Did he just-?” she asked, slightly worried.

“Oh my god! I completely forgot to tell you-” Annie was about to tell Shirley about her and Abed but she was cut off.

“Oh my goodness! It finally happened!? Oooh, I prayed for this to happen. I’ve been praying for this for years. Praise Jesus! This is so nice. I always knew it would be you two. It has to be you two. Oh my lord, I need a minute!” Shirley could hardly contain her excitement and Abed and Annie couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

“Yup, Annie and I are dating,” said Abed calmly, but with a slight grin on his face.

“Oh hell, both of you stand up so I can hug you!” Shirley demanded.

It was Abed who broke the group hug. Just because he was in a relationship didn’t mean he was completely comfortable with all forms of social interaction.

“I really missed you Shirley,” Annie said.

“Me too,” Abed added.

“I’ve missed you guys too. This was nice. Please promise me you won’t be strangers anymore. Feel free to call or visit me anytime. Don’t forget about me,” Shirley chuckled.

“We won’t,” Annie and Abed said in unison.

They hugged goodbye, Shirley gave them a few dozen cookies, and Abed and Annie headed home to watch The Wonder Years.

As Shirley watched them walk away, she couldn’t help but wonder why it had taken them so long to realize what Shirley had known from the beginning: that Abed and Annie were meant for each other. She also didn’t understand how she hadn’t realized they were a couple from the moment they walked in that afternoon.

“Ah, well, at least they’re together now. Any longer and I would have had to step in and help those kids along,” Shirley said to herself as she took a cookie from the pastry case, shut the lights out in the shop, and made her way home.


End file.
